Scapegoats a plenty as season end draws near

And I admit that I made the mistake of NOT reading your next post….you can chalk that up to your post history and the typical response it draws out of me.

However, in retrospect you did say that you would prefer Suh over anybody else at this point….which I agree with. Unfortunately, I think Suh will be gone when we pick (unless a miracle occurs and Tampa and St Louis both win another game). I also agree that Mays and Spikes are not necessarily top 10 talent. But, if Suh, Berry (who I also think is not a top 5 prospect, but who will likely be picked there), and Okung are gone and we have the 4th pick, I DO think that Spikes or Mays would be a better pick than Dez Bryant.

Dez Bryant can have all of the huge numbers that he wants LAST year. You made a comment on another thread asking why anyone would want MiQuale Lewis when he has only had half the yards this year versus last year. Dez Bryant only has 17 catches this year for 323 yards and 4 TDs (and that is not mentioning the obvious issues we have had with drafting 1st round WRs that you stated). He was ruled ineligible to play this season for OSU (after game 4) because he had dealings with Deion Sanders, which he lied to the NCAA about. That alone will likely drop his draft stock, and he may not be in form when someone drafts him.

Admittedly, Bryant would probably have had a big year had he not done something so stupid. MiQuale Lewis had a knee injury and has shown an indecisive mentality. It may seem like apples to oranges, but if mentality is the indicator of how either player will turn out, I wouldn’t say that Bryant has the most stable mentality considering the circumstances.

Spikes also showed his maturity level when he tried to gouge the eyes of Georgia’s running back…..however that is the only incident that I know of and he is a monster at 6’3 255, running sub 4.7 in the 40…..not to mention that fact that he has continuously gotten bigger and stronger since becoming the starting middle linebacker at Florida. Larry Foote is great, but if it were a choice between Dez Bryant and Brandon Spikes at pick 4, I would want Spikes (plus he still ranks in the top 8 of all prospects by some accounts).

Taylor Mays is a top 10 prospect as well. At 6’3 230 lbs, he is one of the greatest unadulterated athletes in the draft. His range and awareness as a safety are thought to be unrivaled by any (of those who are not as high on Eric Berry). He has run the 40 between 4.37 and 4.59 throughout his time at USC, the combine is sure to showcase his athletic ability, and his draft stock will likely rise (even though he is already a top 10 prospect by most rankings). Again, if the choice were between Dez Bryant and Taylor Mays, I would want Mays even though he has also shown some maturity issues (they said the same thing about Vontae Davis, and he is doing pretty damn good in Miami…31 tackles, 2 INTs, a pick 6, and 7 pass deflections as the starting LCB).

Gerald McCoy, who many seem so high on around here, could be a good pick too…..IF he declares. However, he has expressed a desire to possibly return for his senior year at Oklahoma. He has 22 tackles and 5 sacks on the season, but he never even came close to Oklahoma State’s QB and he was practically a non-factor in the game (3 tackles, 1 solo….no sacks). If he declares, the media has him rated as the 2nd best DT in the draft…..but is that good enough for a top 5 pick?? He did have a sack and 3 solo tackles versus Texas earlier this year, but I watched that game too and he had very little impact. I was not impressed. I suppose he might be the BPA at pick 4 if Suh, Berry, and Okung are gone….but in my opinion he is not a top 5 prospect and he is not going to make any more of an impact than Taylor Mays (I would take McCoy over Spikes if we will be re-signing Foote, but in my opinion it is a serious toss up between McCoy and Mays even though we likely need the DT more than the safety in the first round).

I believe that this draft will be deep at DT and safety, regardless of what the Lions do with their pick. I’ve seen all of these guys play, and if I had to rank them my order would be:
1) Suh
2) Okung
3) Mays
4) Berry
5) Spikes (if we can re-sign Foote….if not he moves up to 3 and the 2 safties are bumped down to 4 and 5 respectively)
6) McCoy
7) Bryant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ